Moffitt found himself looking forward to the dryness of the desert while heading up the walkway to his parents' stately home. The cobblestone was slick with rain and the leaves on the plants in the front garden were drooping with water constantly hitting and accumulating in them. He felt Anah shifting inside his jacket, and she poked her head out when Moffitt got to the porch. The balcony above shielded them from rain, so he closed his umbrella.
"The last couple of days have been quite miserable, dear," Anah said.
"Indeed they have," Moffitt replied. "Going to North Africa will be a nice change."
Anah didn't respond. She raised more of herself out of Moffitt's jacket when the front door opened, and his mother peered outside.
"Jack! What a pleasant surprise!" Adeline hugged her son. "And I see you've brought Anah. How are you, little one?"
"I am alright, thank you for asking," Anah replied.
"That's good. Come inside. There's tea brewing."
Moffitt set his umbrella in a rack just inside the door, and hung up his jacket before following his mother into the kitchen. "Is Father home?"
"He's in his study," Adeline replied.
"Alright. I would like to speak with both of you about something."
"I'll go get him, then."
"Thanks. I can finish the tea, Mother." Moffitt started getting cups and dishes out from the cabinets. Anah slithered down his arm and onto the counter, watching attentively.
"Hello, Jack!" Nicholas said as he entered the kitchen. "And Anah."
"Hello, Father," Moffitt replied. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Oh, no, not at all. What is it you'd like to speak to us about?"
"I… was wondering if you would be able to spend a couple of weeks with Vanora. Dietrich, Anah, and I are taking a trip to North Africa."
"What for?" Adeline asked.
"To answer some questions about Anah's past, to… help her move on from some things, so we can focus on the baby."
Adeline looked up at Nicholas. "I don't see why not."
Her husband nodded in agreement. "Absolutely."
"Really?" Relief came over Moffitt. "I… I was afraid you would object given that we're so close to—"
"Jack, I doubt you'd undertake this if it wasn't important."
"Thank you. I don't know how I can repay—"
"Come back before the baby is due. Believe me, you don't want to miss it." Nicholas gave his son a smile. "It's one of the greatest feelings of your entire life."
"I don't intend on missing it. Dietrich promised to keep me on track."
"Dietrich's a good lad. I can trust him to keep you focused. Oh, before I forget, Professor Tannenbay—he wrote that book I gave to Dietrich—does have another coming out. He actually greatly appreciated Dietrich's letters on his first one."
Moffitt raised an eyebrow. "Dietrich wrote to Professor Tannenbay? He never told me!" He laughed through his surprise and mock disappointment. "Tannenbay was one of my favorites when I was attending university. I'm shocked Dietrich never mentioned this!"
Nicholas shrugged. "You'll have to ask Dietrich. How has he been, if you don't mind me asking?"
"He's been well. Very eager to help us out with the baby."
"That's good to hear. He did seem happier the last time I saw him—well, as happy as he can get. He does have a naturally melancholic appearance."
Moffitt couldn't argue with that. "He really does. Neither of us are looking forward to going back to North Africa—I am a little—but we feel this is important for Anah."
"Is there anything I could do to assist?"
"I can't think of anything at the moment. We don't know if there's anything that we'll be bringing back, but if we do—"
"Bring them to the university."
"Right. Thanks."
"As far as I recall, there is nothing in the temple worth bringing back," Anah said. "There was only me. Who knows? Maybe there is something that I have forgotten."
"You have been a great help in documenting the Ptolemaic Era of Egypt," Nicholas replied. "Many of the professors and researchers at Cambridge are extremely grateful for that."
"I am happy to help." Anah looked a little embarrassed at the praise.
Nicholas turned to his son. "When will you be leaving?"
"Tomorrow. We'll be taking the horses, so you won't need to worry about them."
"Alright." Nicholas let out a sigh of longing. "A horseback ride through the sands of North Africa. I wish I was going with you, Jack."
"Maybe some other time. I'm sorry." Moffitt glanced at Anah. "This isn't exactly a pleasure trip."
"I take it Dietrich's good on a horse?"
"Surprisingly good for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience. He and Icepatch took to each other quite well."
"Icepatch has the calm demeanor of her dam and the empathy of her sire. I can't say I'm surprised she connected with Dietrich."
"I wasn't surprised, either. Let's see how they do on this trip."
"I'm sure they'll do wonderfully, and I wish you the best of luck out there."
"Thanks."
The rain had stopped when Dietrich went out to the stable to spend some time continuing to get to know Icepatch. He hadn't been fully on board with the idea of taking the horses to North Africa, but Moffitt insisted on it. They were good watch animals, they were both of a breed suited for life in the desert, and finding food for them would be far easier than fuel for a vehicle. When Dietrich finally agreed to it, Moffitt told him to train with Icepatch while he was visiting his parents.
Snowstripe seemed a bit confused at Dietrich coming in without Moffitt. He watched the skinny German with a degree of suspicion before going back to his hay, though he did occasionally give Dietrich strange looks.
Dietrich ignored him and headed to Icepatch's stall. The mare greeted him with a nicker, then gave Dietrich a nuzzle. "And how are you this morning?" Dietrich asked. "Very bright-eyed, I see. I am alright. I did not sleep the greatest last night. Strange dreams, and I am not looking forward to this trip, but I understand what Anah is going through. I admire her courage. I doubt I am ready to face much of my own past." He sighed while beginning to groom the mare. "Being in North Africa is going to be a challenge for all of us. There are many things that occurred there… that I would rather not revisit. Places I would rather avoid." Dietrich looked down at the hay-strewn ground, biting his lip. "The well. It is a simple, unassuming well… but I lost a lot of men there. All of them. Apart from the Rat Patrol, I was the only survivor, along with the little girl and her mother."
Icepatch turned, her ears pricked toward him, as if she was genuinely listening.
"It has been nine years, and I still have nightmares about it. It is just one of many recurring things I dream about. The well. Being trapped under my Kübelwagen. Being chained to Troy. Shall I go on?" Dietrich looked Icepatch in the eye, then went back to brushing her. "Moffitt is no different." He drew in a breath. "The bullets can be removed from our bodies. Our injuries can heal. There will always be scars, and most of them will be invisible. Most. Not all."
The mare was still listening.
"My dreams were a bit odd last night. They were not nightmares in the way I usually experience. They were tense, scary, but not depicting anything I had gone through before." Dietrich paused his brushing as he tried to find the best way to describe what he dreamt about. "I saw… a young man standing in the middle of a massive room. He looked a lot like Moffitt. I approached him, and he ran away. I went after him, and followed him up a set of stairs. We came to the top of a tower. That was when I realized that we were in a castle. The young man had disappeared. There was no other way he could have gone back into the castle. I looked around, and saw birds—could not tell what birds they were exactly—circling overhead. Something told me to look down, and I saw… this man's broken body on the ground." He went back to brushing the horse. "I really hope it was just a nightmare, and not a vision. Still… the man had to be Moffitt's son. I cannot be sure how I know, but… I felt it in my gut."
Dietrich was quiet as he continued grooming Icepatch. Like the day before, she was patient with him. Before long, Dietrich found himself enjoying the silence. He tried to keep his thoughts on what he was doing when he started tacking up Icepatch, not wanting to make a mistake that could cause her pain. He checked everything carefully before leading Icepatch outside, then gingerly climbed into her saddle. At least today's ride would be calm compared to the day before. The weather could be a bit nicer, though.
He was about halfway to the castle ruins when he heard another horse coming up behind him, following by Moffitt calling, "Wait up, Dietrich!" The Englishman slowed Snowstripe when he came up alongside Icepatch, a big grin on his face.
"I thought you would still be at your parents'," Dietrich said.
"I got home not that long ago. I saw you took Icepatch out and decided to come along."
"Well, I was enjoying the peace and quiet."
"I am capable of having a quiet ride, although we are going to need to find things to talk about when we're in the desert."
"Fair enough. I personally am not prepared for long hours in a saddle. Hours in a Kübelwagen, yes, but not a saddle."
"You will be very, very sore at the end, especially since you're not used to it. I thought I was used to it when I joined the Scots Greys." Moffitt grinned again. "Thought. I wasn't. The rides I took with my father around Cambridge were nothing but backyard pony rides compared to what I'd be doing in the army. I was immensely sore after my first patrol on Snowstripe. The day I went searching for Sergeant McKerras after he was kidnapped by the French was among the longest rides I ever took—I was so worn out, I nearly collapsed getting out of the saddle. It's good exercise, though."
"Good to know. Perhaps there are more stories from your time in the Scots Greys you can tell me while we are riding through the desert. That will be plenty entertaining."
"Oh, it will be. I'll bring my journals, then." Moffitt was quiet for a moment, thinking. He then turned to Dietrich, a creative spark in his eyes. "One day, I think I'll put my journals together, and turn them into a book."
"I would buy a copy," Dietrich said.
"Why buy it? I'd give you one for free, as a gift."
"A little extra cash in your pocket never hurts."
"Fair point, but—"
"I insist, Moffitt. Get something nice for your wife or son." Dietrich stopped abruptly, realizing what he just said. "Oh."
"Son? How do you know I'm going to have a son?"
"I… do not, but…" Dietrich bit his lip, "I had a dream last night about a young man who looked very similar to you, and something was telling me it was your son."
"It was a dream."
"You of all people should not be dismissing dreams."
Moffitt sighed and nodded, while looking down at Snowstripe's withers. "You're right." He returned his gaze to Dietrich. "Was it a good dream?"
Dietrich's words caught in his throat. How do I tell anyone that I had a dream where their child jumped or fell off a castle tower? "Uh… it… was a dream. Not good or bad. Just… an odd dream."
Moffitt gave him a quizzical look. "What made it odd?"
I do not want to be lying to a man I have come to call a good friend over the last several years. "There was a castle. And birds. I followed this young man up to a tower, and he disappeared. When I looked down, I saw him lying at the bottom, and the birds were circling him."
Moffitt fell silent. His face paled, and he kept looking down. "I… really hope… that was just a dream."
"So do I, but whatever does happen, we will figure it out."
More silence. Moffitt looked like he was pretending to be distracted by something in the woods.
Dietrich gave a concerned sigh. "Moffitt?"
"What?"
"Are you alright?"
"Not really."
"No one would blame you." Dietrich tried to think of a solution. "Maybe we should talk to Anah about it."
"No. She has enough to worry about. I don't want to put more on her plate."
"She will figure it out eventually."
"I know, but…" Moffitt started gripping his reins tightly, but quickly released when he realized what he was doing. "I don't want to stress her. If she figures it out, oh well. Right now, we need to focus on helping her."
Dietrich nodded in agreement, and started praying that what he saw the previous night was just a strange dream. It didn't feel like an ordinary dream, though.
When they returned to the stable and took care of the horses, Dietrich noticed Moffitt no longer had the inspired look in his eyes from when he was talking about potentially doing a book. He waited until they were heading back to the house in order to say something, "The young man I saw had to have been in his teenage years. We have a few years before whatever I saw comes to light—if what I dreamt about was a vision."
"Let's hope it wasn't, then. I don't want any child of mine… going through what we're all going through with your prophecy." Moffitt opened the door and let Dietrich in first.
"I would not wish this on anyone, but it is something beyond anyone's control," Dietrich said. "I suggest we wait and see."
Moffitt nodded, though he still looked pale and unsure. "We're leaving tomorrow. Make sure you're packed and ready after breakfast."
Moffitt found it difficult to sleep that night. His thoughts turned to one stressful thing to another—the baby, the trip to North Africa, Dietrich's dream. All knotted together in the pit of his stomach. No amount of deep breathing helped. The knot was becoming more and more nauseating. When Moffitt placed one hand over his stomach, he noticed Anah lifting her head from her coils in the corner of his eye.
"Are you alright, dear?" she whispered.
"Fine. Why?"
"You look unwell." Anah slithered over to him. "Something not agreeing with you?"
"No. I'm thinking about the trip. And the baby. That's all."
"I can still help, if you do not mind."
"I don't think—" Moffitt stopped when Anah curled up on him, and felt her gentle healing energy flowing through his abdomen. The nauseous feeling disappeared.
"Everything will be alright, dear," Anah said, softly.
"Thank you, Anah. That… does help."
"Stress is still primarily mental. I sense a great deal of it inside you." Anah moved up to the base of Moffitt's neck. "Perhaps some tea would be of assistance."
"I don't want to wake Dietrich. He's in the sitting room."
"There is always the chair in front of the fireplace."
"Alright." Moffitt quietly left the bedroom, Anah draped around his shoulders. She would nuzzle him occasionally while he prepared a cup of passionflower tea, but stayed quiet until Moffitt was seated in front of the darkened fireplace. She sighed, then started humming that tune, pressing herself against the side of Moffitt's neck.
Moffitt jolted a little when a shadow passed over the doorway to the sitting room, and a somewhat dazed Dietrich appeared. He looked like half his body was still asleep, but he pointed to Anah. "That… is the tune she hums?"
"Yes," Moffitt said.
"I have heard it before. Not from her. From somewhere else."
"Do you remember where it was you heard it?"
"When my unit was stationed near the temple, before we even knew about it, I was having dreams about hearing that exact tune, but in my dream, it was being played by an instrument."
"What instrument?"
"I believe it was a violin."
"You're kidding."
Dietrich shook his head. "I distinctly remember hearing it played on a violin."
"My mother made me learn to play the violin."
"Can you bring it with you?"
"I'll stop by my parents' before we board the ship, yes." Moffitt no longer felt anxious. Instead, he felt curious. Even if this tune was meaningless, the chance to hear it and potentially recreate it sparked the same sense of wonder he always felt whenever he traveled to North Africa during his studies.
Anah gave Dietrich a quizzical look. "I guess you hearing this same tune answers a few questions. It was not something I made up."
Dietrich snapped his fingers, looking like he came to another realization. "The theater. I was seeing a theater in some of my dreams and visions before we went into the temple. She was on the stage in many of them. There must be some kind of connection here, but it does not make sense. The prophecy has nothing to do with music."
"We have to put it all together, first," Moffitt said. "Maybe then it'll make sense." He looked at Anah. "What all do you know about this? The music, the dreams—"
"No more than you do," Anah replied. "The further back I dig into my own memory, the fuzzier it becomes." She smiled a little. "It is funny, I can see when you were a child clear as day in your mind, while you cannot remember. I can see back quite far, but the first few years… they are mostly flashes, brief images…" Anah trailed off. "Sometimes, I still see her face as a child. My witch. Smiling. Innocent. If I linger on it too long, suddenly… that smile becomes twisted and evil."
Silence filled the house, aside from a sigh from Anah. "Hundreds of people would pass by that temple over the last two thousand years. There were many I could have chosen to accompany. You—" she turned to Moffitt, "stood out among all others. The prophecy was written long before my time, but there was a reason you were chosen. Whether or not those reasons were similar to the ones I had for choosing to stay with you is irrelevant. I saw a soul I could truly, deeply trust."
"You have hidden things from me, though," Moffitt said.
"I have. Old habits. Fears. I acknowledge those, and I want to fix them, so I can make good on my word to you."
Moffitt nodded, stroking the back of Anah's head. "You know I'm not mad at you, right?"
Anah fell silent, then said in a rather timid voice, "I wonder sometimes if you are."
"No. I'm never mad at you—maybe a little annoyed sometimes, but never truly angry. I understand why you never discussed your past. Besides, I could never get rid of you—"
"It would be too quiet without you," Dietrich said.
"And I doubt Troy would appreciate it."
"No, he would not," Anah replied, smiling a little.
"Oh, no, at first, he would pretend that he is happy that you are gone, but then he would demand to know where Moffitt put you so he can get you back." Dietrich smirked.
"Let's not test whether or not that would actually happen," Moffitt said. He glanced back at Anah. "We should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow's a busy day." He turned to Dietrich. "Did we wake you?"
"Her humming did," Dietrich replied. "I started hearing that tune in my dreams, and when I awoke and continued to hear it, I had to know where it was coming from."
"Sorry."
"You have no need to apologize." Dietrich smirked again. "Troy did tell me in one of his letters that I am not allowed to let you get away with apologizing for things you did not do."
"What are you going to do? Hit me with a hat?"
"No, but I will do something equally annoying—" Dietrich walked over, rolled his eyes at the thought of how undignified he was acting, and tousled Moffitt's hair, leaving it messier than it was when Moffitt got out of bed.
Moffitt sat there in silence and shock for a moment, then looked up at Dietrich. "You're right, that was annoying."
"That was the point. No more pointless apologies."
"I'll try. Sorry—"
"No." Dietrich grabbed his head.
"Alright, alright." Moffitt glared at him. "Do stop, please."
Dietrich let go. "I could probably go back to sleep if I wanted to, but would you like me to stay up with you?"
"Only if Anah is alright with that."
Anah looked a little stunned. "Dear, I cannot keep you away from your friends—"
"Be honest. Do you want just me or are you alright if Dietrich stays? The next few weeks are going to be difficult, so I want you to be happy."
Anah switched her gaze between Moffitt and Dietrich. "Dietrich can stay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay." Moffitt looked back over at Dietrich. "Would you like a cup of tea, then?"
"Yes, thank you." Dietrich went into the kitchen. "I can get it myself. No need to bother getting up."
"You are our guest, Dietrich."
"So?" Dietrich shrugged. "I like doing my own cooking and making my own tea. I feel useless if I cannot do any of that myself."
"Oh, alright." Moffitt watched Dietrich prepare his own tea, then turned back to Anah. She looked to be in a slightly better mood, but he knew that was going to change the following day.
The three managed to get a few more hours of sleep. The anxious knot returned to Moffitt's stomach in the morning, making it difficult to want any breakfast. He forced himself to eat regardless, and tried not to look worried when his parents showed up. Once everything was in order, Moffitt was ready to say his reluctant goodbye to Vanora. He set his bags down on the doorstep, and faced his wife.
"Please be careful, Jack," Vanora said.
"I will. I'll have Dietrich and Anah." Moffitt could see the cobra in the corner of his eye. "Anah, could I have a moment alone, please?"
"Of course, dear." Anah slithered onto Moffitt's knapsack in order to get to Dietrich, who was holding his arm out for her to crawl on.
Moffitt looked back at Vanora. "I love you. This—" he held up his left hand, showing her his wedding ring, "will not leave my sight. I will miss you terribly."
"I'll be alright, love," Vanora said. "It will be extremely quiet without you and Anah. Boredom will be the biggest problem." She smiled.
"I hope so."
"The baby will be fine. Don't worry about it. Your parents will have everything under control."
"That does make me feel better. A little. I'll worry regardless."
Vanora took her husband's hands. "I love you so much, Jack."
Moffitt leaned down to kiss her forehead, then pulled her into a hug. He held her tightly, and ran his hand through her short brown hair. He didn't want to let go, but knew he had to soon. He sighed heavily, and kept gently gripping Vanora's shoulders while giving her one last kiss. Vanora took his head, keeping that kiss firmly planted on his lips. They slowly pulled apart, and Moffitt forced himself to pick up his bags and leave the doorstep. "Goodbye, darling. We will return in a few weeks. I promise."
"Goodbye, love," Vanora said. She kept herself composed while going back into the house, but didn't close the door until Moffitt was walking away with Dietrich and Anah.
The ride to the port where a passenger ship would be taking the group to Egypt was quite dull for Moffitt, but exciting for Dietrich, who gazed out the train window at the views of London. "I feel this may be a nonsensical question, but have you been to London before?" Dietrich asked.
"A few times, yes," Moffitt said. "I've done work with my father at the British Museum. It's quite lovely."
"I would not mind visiting London someday."
"When you do, let me know. I can show you around."
"I think I will."
There was no time to stop and look at anything when they arrived at the port. Moffitt took care of making sure the horses were safely aboard, while Dietrich took care of finding their quarters. The ship itself was no ocean liner, but it was quite luxurious, and not something Dietrich had ever experienced before. It was pleasantly warm on board, but he kept his light jacket on, wanting to keep his wrists concealed in front of the many strangers he would be sharing space with.
Their quarters were small, but clean and cozy. Dietrich claimed the bed closest to the window, and noticed a little complementary tin of chocolate-covered cookies on the nightstand between the beds. As he was alone, he had no shame in opening the tin and trying one of the cookies. One became two, and he was in the process of putting a third in his mouth when Moffitt entered the room.
"The horses are settled in. I'll be checking on them daily," he was saying. "Dietrich, what are you doing?"
Dietrich gave him a slightly embarrassed look, but refused to talk with his mouth full.
"You know those are for dunking in tea, right—and this is my favorite dunking biscuit! How many did you eat?"
Sheepishly, Dietrich held up three fingers.
Moffitt sighed and shook his head, muttering something that sounded like, "You're the one who accuses us of picking up bad habits from Troy, but this just proves you're learning from him, too. Three whole biscuits and not one went in a cup of tea. Barbarian," before closing the tin and placing it back on the nightstand, where he could keep an eye on it. "No more. These are strictly for tea. If you're hungry, there's other food on the ship." He set his knapsack and duffel bag on his bed. "Alright. Now, we do nothing until we reach Alexandria. I have a number of books to catch up on, and I'm looking forward to reading them."
"The ship will leave in less than hour," Dietrich said, looking at his watch. "We are positive we have everything?"
"Yes. I asked you that three times before we left Cambridge."
Anah poked her head out of Moffitt's shirt. "I also checked. You two have nothing to worry about."
"Thank you, Anah. You know you can't be out at all when we're outside our quarters, right?"
"I know, dear. You do not need to worry about me."
"No, it's just Dietrich eating all the bloody biscuits I have to worry about." Moffitt set a small stack of books on his side of the nightstand. "I hope the tea on this ship is good."
"For all of our sakes," Dietrich said through his teeth.
"You sound like Troy. Shut up."
"Be honest, Moffitt, if the tea here is terrible, you will be very cranky for this entire trip."
"He does have a point, dear," Anah added.
"I will be fine!" Moffitt said. "I can put up with bad tea, as long as it isn't like the sludge that Troy made!"
"I highly doubt the tea here will be that bad," Dietrich said.
"Well, we're about to find out. It is lunchtime, after all. Anah, will you be okay here by yourself?"
"Of course, dear," Anah replied. "Take as long as you need, and enjoy yourselves."
"Alright. I'll wash up and then we can go."
Dietrich nodded. He smirked while Anah curled up on Moffitt's bed, facing the door, and quietly approached the tin of cookies. As soon as he put his hand on the lid, Anah turned, reared up, and hissed at him.
"Dietrich!" Moffitt snarled from inside the bathroom. "You leave those bloody biscuits alone!"
"Oh, fine!" Dietrich walked away from the cookie tin, and glared at Anah.
Moffitt left the bathroom, sighing as he walked out into the hallway. He led Dietrich down a flight of stairs in order to get to the restaurant on board the ship. "I might run into some colleagues here, so don't be alarmed if I disappear."
"I thought I was supposed to be keeping you on track," Dietrich said.
"When we're in Egypt and Tunisia, yes, but not here. Here, we can just relax and enjoy ourselves." Moffitt chose a table by a window, overlooking the English Channel as the ship sailed through it. "Quite nice, isn't it?"
"Indeed," Dietrich replied. "If anyone told me I would be on a luxury ship with a man who shot at me during a war, I would—"
"Think they were mad? Same here." Moffitt opened his menu, then glanced at Dietrich. "It is warm in here. I know you want to… you know, cover your scars, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable."
"I will be alright," Dietrich said. "You and Anah are of greater concern. I am just along for the ride."
"Not after what we learned last night. I had no idea that you had heard that tune before."
"I was under the impression that what Anah was humming and what I heard near the temple were different, but, to be honest, I am not surprised that they were one and the same."
Moffitt set his menu down and rubbed his face, sighing. "There's more to this, I can feel it."
"We will figure it out."
"I know, but—"
"Moffitt, you yourself said this part of the trip is where we 'relax and enjoy ourselves,' so that is what we will do."
"Right." Moffitt returned his attention to the menu in front of him.
Dietrich changed the subject. "A lot of these dishes look quite… fancy. I miss the simplicity and heartiness of Tully's cooking."
"Can't say I blame you. I miss Tully, period."
Dietrich nodded. "Hitch's mother has been writing me. I even visited her this past winter for Christmas."
"That was nice of you."
"She was having a rough time, missing Hitch. I offered to go and keep her company."
"Irena's such a sweet and happy lady, it's hard to think of her sad."
"It is. She cheered up when I arrived, but she told me that she was not attending the family Christmas party. I felt bad, because that is one of her favorite events of the year, but I understood why."
"Did you do anything together?"
"Put up the tree, made cakes and cookies. Mainly, we talked…" Dietrich paused, suddenly feeling as though they were being watched. He looked around the room, not seeing anyone looking in his direction.
"Everything alright?" Moffitt asked.
"Yes. Everything is… fine. Just had a strange feeling."
"What sort of strange feeling?"
"Like we were being watched."
"I didn't feel anything."
Dietrich shrugged. "Maybe I am tired. We did not exactly sleep well last night."
"No." Moffitt glanced around for a moment. "I'll order coffee, then."
Even after they both had a bit of coffee, Dietrich continued feeling as though someone was watching them. "Maybe Anah snuck down to be with us," he said.
"She would've made her presence known by now," Moffitt said.
"Fair point."
"I don't think you're mad. I'm just wondering… who could possibly be watching us?"
"You did say you might run into some colleagues here."
"I did."
"Perhaps it is someone who recognizes you but cannot figure out who you are."
"Maybe."
The feeling persisted through lunch, and faded when Dietrich and Moffitt returned to their quarters. Soft music filled the room when Moffitt turned a radio on. Dietrich tried to keep himself occupied with a book, but the idea of someone watching them made it difficult to focus. He also didn't want Moffitt to be worried, so he kept his thoughts to himself.
During dinner, Moffitt did end up running into someone he knew from Cambridge, leaving Dietrich by himself at the table. He looked around while eating his meal, and his gaze settled on a man standing near the door leading out to the deck. The man looked to be alone, and dressed in plain Arab clothing. His dark blond hair and blue eyes suggested he was of European descent. The man looked around for a moment before he realized Dietrich was looking at him.
Quickly, Dietrich returned to his food, but he could feel the man's piercing blue gaze on him. Dietrich refused to look up, and silently began saying a prayer for safety and guidance.
Moffitt and a man around his age blocked the view of the mysterious stranger. "…This is who I'm traveling with, Isaac. Isaac, this is Hans Dietrich. Dietrich, this is Isaac Redmond."
"Pleasure to meet you, mate." Redmond held out his hand to Dietrich. He was much shorter than Moffitt, with longer, ginger hair.
"Hello." Dietrich took Redmond's hand. "Pleasure to… make your acquaintance."
"Would you care to join us, Isaac?" Moffitt asked.
"I can for a few minutes," Redmond replied. "There's going to be a social dance here in an hour, and I'd like to look my best. Hopefully land a nice date. Would you like to come?"
Moffitt displayed his wedding band. "I'm married. Sorry."
"What about you, Hans?"
Dietrich shook his head. "Not interested."
"Ah, well. Going alone is alright." Redmond shrugged. "So, you're off to Egypt again. I'm headed to Luxor this trip."
"I haven't been to Luxor in well over twenty years, I think," Moffitt said. "We're headed to a… place just south of Alexandria."
"Anything exciting? Greek? Roman?"
"Uh… Greek, actually. A village. We're… taking part in a dig." Moffitt looked uncomfortable lying.
Dietrich glanced past Moffitt to see if the stranger was still watching. He couldn't see the stranger anymore. On one hand, Dietrich was somewhat relieved, as he didn't want to see that the man was still watching, but there was something equally discomforting about the fact that Dietrich could no longer see him. He hoped and prayed it was nothing.
